Blog about Urban Art, Space and Culture

Dear Helsinki, visiting you made me thoughtful. You surprised me with your Street Art District, you frightened me with your massive buildings in Katajanokka and you touched my heart with your peculiar language. All these long words and names that I was unable to keep in mind and every time Aleksi* asked me where I’d spent the day I had to describe the place...

When I woke up the first morning in Kuala Lumpur there was a heavy thunderstorm passing by and I could hear an alarm bell from the inside of the hostel. I quickly jumped into my pants and opened the door of our female dorm. The hostel’s courtyard, a wonderful open-air common area, was flooded and the staff was trying to keep the water from...

There are two buildings in Reykjavik that deeply impressed me. Both with a unique character. In this first part of impressive Icelandic architecture I will show you the wonderful HARPA – a futuristic concert and conference hall at the old harbour of Reykjavik right beside the sea. HARPA concert hall Inspired by Iceland’s exceptional landscape and its diverse lightning atmosphere HARPA was designed by...

Did you know that the word “Ghetto” arise from Venice? It comes from the old Venetian dialect word “geto” which means “foundry”. In the 16th century Jewish people were forced to live in an isolated area within the Venetian district Cannaregio – an abandoned site of a former foundry that produced canons. The Jewish life was full of restrictions at that time: They were...

As a Graphic Designer I’m always looking for interesting exhibitions on my travels. In Venice I found a very special one: PROPORTIO. The exhibition was located in an old impressive Palazzo close to the Canal Grande in Campo San Beneto – The Palazzo Fortuny. The special thing about the Palazzo as a stage of art is that the rooms and structures of and within the...

Alice Pasquini is an Urban storyteller. A female street artist who wants to change the world by bringing some hope back into the streets. Her warmly colorful artworks show strong independent women, playing kids and intimate moments. Often she also uses short text passages within her artworks to deepen the message. Her work is an expression of being alive, of appreciating the single moment...

Topic of the month

The wide mountain scenery is spreading out its gentle green hills and brown woods before my eyes. The cloud-covered heaven rarely reveals some rays of sunshine. But the birds in my mothers garden doesn’t seem to care about this uncomfortable cold weather at all. I had come here in the hope of seeing the landscape covered in glittering snow but like most times around christmas there is no snow at all. Nevertheless I’m enjoying my little end-of-the-year-retreat. Over the years it had become my personal ritual to spend a week at my mum’s place on the countryside before starting into a new year. Often the time together didn’t turned out to be as peaceful and relaxed as I had hoped it to be like and in many years I packed my backs earlier than planned and was happy to be back in Cologne, the city, my own place. But this year we somehow managed to pull ourself together and so I can enjoy the time here and even find some time to finally finish...

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I'm Anna, a 32 years old graphic designer based in Cologne, Germany. This Blog is about the never-endling journey of life. It's about reminding myself to stay awake and curious, of seeing things from another perspective. Feel free to take part of my journey and be inspired! :)

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Haftungsausschuss

Global friendship

What to do, when your boyfriend suddenly breaks up with you? Well, for a travel soul like me the answer was clear: Jump into the next plane and go somewhere you’ve never been before. ICELAND seemed to be the perfect destination for this plan – a lonely island far away from the European mainland, far away from home and from my everyday life. So I packed my bags and jumped into the next plane to Reykjavik in Juli this year. By approaching Iceland I became aware of one thing immediately: I’m entering a world where natures rules. As far as the eye could see the ground was covered with black lava rocks.

Urban Studies

By closing the door behind me I’m entering another world. A world wrapped in Warpaint music. I’ve never heard a Warpaint song in a café before. The slightly melancholic tones suit my inner conception of Iceland, correspond to its winter-melancholy, to the Northern Lights and to the vast of its ice landscape. But right now it’s summer and the street in front of the Coocoo’s Nest is full of people eating ice cream. There is an ice cream shop next doors where you have to draw a number to get your desired scoops of ice cream. Icelanders are addicted to ice cream! Even in cold winter days. At least this is what Ragi, a 59-years old Icelander told me.

Did you know that the word “Ghetto” arise from Venice? It comes from the old Venetian dialect word “geto” which means “foundry”. In the 16th century Jewish people were forced to live in an isolated area within the Venetian district Cannaregio – an abandoned site of a former foundry that produced canons. The Jewish life was full of restrictions at that time: They were not allowed to leave their area at night-time and all access points were controlled by guards. When they wanted to leave the Ghetto at daytime they had to wear distinguishing clothes. Moreover they were only allowed to work in certain fields such as bankers, money-lender, tailor or tinker and had to pay extraordinary high taxes.